The Flaming Dragon
by ChaosIsMeh
Summary: A dwarven woman, known as Nakita, with white hair and a hidden eye joins the Company at the request of Gandalf. She's sly, resourceful, and she sings like a siren, but she's supposedly a key asset into defeating Smaug, much to her disliking. When a certain dwarf begins to feel something for her, will Thorin be able to keep himself from kicking her out of the Company? Kili/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

A warm breeze picked up over the valley of Rivendell as the summer solstice took place. On this very night, exactly seven months ago, a baby was born to an elven woman, but this child was plagued with the blood of their enemy. Dwarf blood ran through the child's veins, despite what the mother could do. It was the mother's sole purpose to destroy the abomination before anyone could find out about her, but someone stopped her. Someone very wise and known by most of her race's lords and ladies.

Gandalf gave out a loud sigh as he held the small bundle in his arms. The child wrapped inside was running a high fever that not even he could fight. It's black hair covered parts of it's face, but he would be able to recognize the child if it survived to grow old. Her right eye was blind from no apparent source, which was rare in Middle-Earth.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" He asked in his scratchy old voice.

Another wizard, one with brown cloaks and fungi growing on his face gave his companion the best smile of assurance as he could muster in such a dire situation. "I've read much on this subject and this ritual in particular. If everything is right, the child will be cured." The wizard answered back. "Now, tell me. What is her race exactly?" He asked, referring to the child.

"Dwarf and elven, mostly, but her mother was half elf and half the race of man as well, so she has three races combined inside of her."

"Three!?" Radagast cried in astonishment. He had known of the dwarf and elf, but he was quite unaware of the blood of man also coursing through her veins.

"Yes, I know... but I believe she is of importance. She needs to be saved or she will die from this fever." Gandalf sighed again.

The two wizards began walking through the dark forest around them until they came across a clearing. In the middle of the grass was a small pool. The moon shown straight down to it as it glowed red. Gandalf hesitated before removing the wrappings from the girl and gently placing her into the water. She wailed out in pain as the cold water began to seep into her skin, but neither wizards helped her. They just sat back on a log and waited.

A few moments paced and suddenly, when the moon was at it's peak, the water glowed and the baby's cries ceased. Gandalf and Radagast watched in awe as the baby's raven colored hair began to change and her blind eye glowed. The light eventually stopped and the grey wizard ran over to her.

The child was fast asleep, the sickness that once harmed her was gone, but her features had changed. Her black hair changed white and Gandalf could only guess that her eyes had changed as well, for better or for worse, he wasn't sure.

Fifty Seven Years Later...

It was midday and the forest was alive with birdsong and the small rodents scuttled through the brush. It was quite the site to see, as two rather large bucks trotted through the trees. All was calm and it seemed to be a time of peace.

Suddenly, an arrow shot through the air and plunged into one of the buck's hearts. As it fell over and the other ran away, terrified, the owner of the arrow stepped out of their hiding spot. A huntress dressed in a reddish-brown corset and a short black skirt, covered by her black cloak, walked over to her kill in knee high brown boots. Her white hair hung down to her midback and her moon colored bangs covered her right eye. Her blue, left eye trailed over the dead deer's body, making her smile at how much money she could get for the meat it had. Kneeling down, she plucked the arrow out in a swift motion. She patted the poor creature's shoulder, but froze on the spot.

The birds had silenced all around her. She knew it hadn't been from her because the birds were squwaking in alarm from her, but now they were gone. She kept her ears open, trying to detect any sounds of movement. She snatched an throwing axe that was strapped to her side and, as she turned on her heel, flung it. It sliced into a staff, it's blade now visible. It was made from steel and had distinct grooves in it, much like a saw's.

"Well, that's quite a way to great an old friend." Came the gruff voice of the staff's owner. The young woman perked up and ran over to embrace the grey dressed wizard.

"It's good to see you, Gandalf!" She spoke, her voice being a definite alto, but still had a feminine ring to it.

"And you as well, Nakita." Gandalf smiled back at her. "You've grown into quite the fine woman." He commented.

"And you would have been able to see me grow if you hadn't disappeared on me all those years ago."

"Aw, yes, but I left you in the hands of a trusted blacksmith, now didn't I?" He chuckled and she couldn't help give a small chuckle as well. "And I see you have become quite the hunter!" He cheered, gesturing to the stag.

"Oh, yes. I suppose." She said modestly. She pointed to her ax and smirked. "Sorry about your staff." She pulled out her saw-bladed ax and slide it back into her belt, a matching one rested on her other side.

"It's quite alright. I can fix it easily." He smiled. "Come, let us talk in Ered Luin."

Together, the two walked back to the city. Nakita dragged the stag all the way back without fault, and after dropping it off at the market and Nakita received her payment, they went to her home to talk.

"So why are you back all of a sudden?" She asked. "There has to be a reason."

"Oh, you hurt an old wizard's feelings. Can't I check up on my favorite dwarf?"

"Checking up?" She scoffed, taking a swig from the mug of ale in her hand. "Checking up is visiting often, I haven't seen you since I was three. That's fifty four years ago, Gandalf. Plus, I'm not a dwarf."

"But you'd rather be called one."

"Touche."

The two sat in silence for a while longer, but soon Nakita spoke up again. "Please, just tell me why you're here."

Gandalf sighed, making a skilled smoke circle from his pipe. "Because... I have a very important task for you."

**Chapter One**

Bilbo Baggins ran throughout his house frantically as he tried to keep the many dwarves from destroying everything he owned. "P-please! Don't touch that! That was my mother's!" He ripped a fragile looking cup from the hands of a laughing dwarf. Twelve of these things were waltzing around his hobbit hole, eating just about anything they could find.

They had all introduced themselves quite politely, but even after he had tried to kept them out, they all had barged in. He was exceptionally aggravated by the two known as Fili and Kili. The two, who were most likely brothers, were throwing things back and forth and poor Bilbo was caught in the suspense of something to break.

He ran passed his room, but halted immediately when he saw the door slightly ajar. Infuriated that one of these brutes had entered his personal quarters, her burst through the door, but was shocked to see a woman with her back to him.

"E-excuse me... How did you get in here?" He asked, his eyes lingering on her white hair. He expected full features of a dwarf woman, beard and all, but when she turned to face him, he was taken back.

"Through the front door." She answered simply. Her blue eye was fluttering through a book. "It's not that hard to enter in a house full of obnoxious dwarves." She cocked an eyebrow and looked up at him with a smirk.

"But w-what are you doing here?" He asked again. She had no beard, let alone any braids, and her face was very elven like, with a hint of man in the way her jaw set, but her height and the way her hair tumbled down in curls was most definitely dwarf. Her lips were a stunning shade of bright red.

"Same as the others." She went back to her book, bored.

"But why is that? No one will tell me!" He cried in frustration and, had he not covered his face with his hands, he would have seen the look of sympathy the woman gave him.

"You'll find out, just relax and-" An uproar of laughter burst through the doors, making Bilbo flinch and run out of the room to check to see if they had done any damage. The woman huffed and went back to her book. "_The power of flame rest unto any creature who bathe in the waters of the moon and have them use the powers for good or let them be damned to the horrors of eternal suffering._" She read aloud and a gentle smile grew on her face. She lifted a finger and titled her head as she examined the small candle-like flame that burned from it.

All at once the laughter stopped, which made the hairs on the back of Nakita's neck stand up. She knew exactly who had just arrived. She could hear the faint chuckles of greetings as they were exchanged. The last guest had arrived and it was time to get serious. She walked out into the dining room where everyone was seated. She had remained undetected so far and as soon as she entered she hid behind Gandalf as she sat down in a chair. He gave a small smile as he smoked his pipe. She looked up to see the leader of the dwarves and her eyes slightly widened at the man standing before her.

"Thorin... son of Thrain..." She breathed, only Gandalf being able to hear her. The true king of the dwarves sat at the foot of the table and she wasn't even supposed to be here. It had been Gandalf's idea to bring her along, not Thorin's. No one except for Gandalf and Bilbo knew she was here. She closed her eyes and waited for her poor soul to be noticed.

A prodding on her side awoke Nakita. She had dozed off after closing her eyes. She turned to Gandalf who had moved from her side. He was now pointing to her as he spoke to Thorin. Another poke to her side made her look over at the dark haired dwarf who was leaning uncomfortably close. A blonde dwarf stood next to him as he held a piece of her white hair.

"How old are you?" He asked curiously and she swatted both of their hands away.

"I'm fifty seven, thank you very much." She snorted and scooted away from them a bit.

"Who are you?" The dark haired one asked, leaning back a bit. He had an uncomfortably intense glare as he examined her. She was wearing her usual attire of a strapless grey shirt under a brown leather corset. Black shorts that stopped too high to be called proper were under a brown leather belt. Her rump was covered by a leather flap and a slanted red skirt flared out from that. All of this was usually hidden under her black cloak, but that was hanging up in the entry way of Bilbo's hobbit hole. She still had her brown fingerless gloves on that were made from wool.

"More like what are you?" The blonde one broke in.

"My names Nakita..." She hesitated, but added the formal dwarf greeting, however she did do it without a bow, "At your service..."

"Fili." The blonde one nodded. "Kili." The brunette smirked and they both bowed in unison. "At your service." Nakita could tell the two were brothers.

"You're dwarven, right?" Kili asked skeptically.

"That would be the case."

"Then where's your beard?" Fili asked baffled at the lack of facial hair she had.

"I don't have one. I'm a mutt, mind you." She answered, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a sly smirk as their eyes bulged. They seemed to become even more interested, but apparently all of the other dwarves had been eavesdropping, for the one known as Ori spoke up.

"Then what else are you?" He asked and quickly sunk down at her gaze. Her blue sparkling with amusement. This question made Thorin turn and listen to the woman. She gave Gandalf a quick look to make sure it would be safe to say her race.

"To be precise I have the blood of dwarf, man, and last but not least elf." Thorin's eyes widened and he turned to Gandalf in anger.

"An elf!? You bring an elf with you to come with my Company?" He raged. Gandalf gave a small fox-like smile.

"She isn't just an elf, Thorin. You're looking at the one thing that can make your journey a success." He countered. Nakita wiped her head to face him.

"Sorry... I'm what?" This question silenced everyone. As Nakita kept going Thorin sat back listening to every single letter that came out. "You told me I was just another brute to help fight off any trouble that came up. That's my job, Gandalf. What do you mean 'the one thing that can make your journey a success'?" She asked, slightly angry with the wizard who she had apparently known so well.

"And you will help if there is trouble, but... you're a bit more important."

"And you couldn't have told me?" Her hair started to move softly as if an invisible breeze had started drafting around her. Gandalf's eyes grew slightly stern as he saw the stray hairs on her head move constantly.

"Please, Nakita. Control your temper." He glanced at Bilbo and smirked then stared at Thorin. "We wouldn't want you to burn down this poor Hobbit's home." Most of the dwarves began whispering to themselves, but Bilbo spoke up and started frantically asking what he meant.

"Fine then. I'll just be going." Nakita gave a cat-like smile with her red lips as she turned to walk out of the home, but instead of Gandalf's voice to stop her it was Thorin's.

"Wait." His voice boomed and everything went silent. "Stay and let me speak with my company about this matter." He shooed Gandalf and everyone but the dwarves he knew out of the room. When Gandalf passed Nakita she hissed angry remarks at him.

"I hate you... I was just going to be a mercenary, like any other job I've ever taken. I refuse to be some great asset on this quest." Before Gandalf could respond to her, Bilbo cut in as politely as he could without straining himself.

"Excuse me... You're not going to burn my home down... are you?" He asked hopefully.

"That all depends, my dear hobbit," She looked to Bilbo, who was about half an inch taller than her. "If this wizard explains himself before I start spontaneously combusting." This made Bilbo turn slightly pale.

"Nakita," Gandalf grumbled. "Leave his sanity alone. You're coming on this quest, no matter what their vote is."

"Don't treat me like a child, Gandalf. I will go if I please. I will _not _be someone I am destined to be. I make my own destiny. Not a god, not you, and sure as hell not. A. Dragon!" She ended up yelling and the dwarves, who had been whispering to themselves, had turned to watch the two argue. Thorin stood up and addressed Nakita. She snapped her head over to him with a fierce glare.

"What?" She asked through gritted teeth. Her canines were sharper then the rest of her teeth, making Bilbo jump. The dwarves were baffled by her tone with royalty.

"Much to my... distaste, you have been voted to join the Company on our journey. Break this bond and you will be killed." He warned. He knew mercenaries could hardly be trusted if someone offered them a better offer than their original deal, so he would keep a very close eye on her. Gandalf gave a smile as he knew she wouldn't refuse.

Nakita frowned, but nodded and walked over to Balin, who began explaining further into the contract. She didn't want to seem rude, despite her anger, so she let him talk and every so often she would give a nod. Finally after much explaining she signed the bottom, but instead of mingling with the others, she went outside. Gandalf was about to run after, but she informed him she was just going for a walk. He refused to let her go until Fili and Kili offered to spy on her as she went to make sure she didn't leave. He allowed it and the two followed her out through the forest.

"What do you think of her?" Kili asked, as the two watched from far behind so she wasn't able to see them.

"Nakita? She's... interesting I suppose. Definitely not my type, but I'm sure you could get over the no beard." He laughed and Kili shoved him.

"No, you arse! I meant as a person, not a bloody love interest!" He huffed, but chuckled.

"She reminds me of a cat... mixed with a fox."

"Sly and feminine mixed with more sly?" He asked. It was his turn to be shoved.

"Yeah, precisely. You just put it dumbly." Kili rolled his eyes, but quickly froze. "What is it?" Kili looked terrified and Fili almost screamed like a little girl when he saw Nakita standing in front of them. She bent over laughing, eventually falling over onto the ground. The two circled her, Fili with an embarrassed shade of red slightly flushing his cheeks. After a long time of giggle then breathing then more laughter then giggling again then laughing again, Nakita finally stopped and smirked.

"Sly and feminine mixed with more sly?" She asked, raising her one visible eyebrow at Kili. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as she stood up and brushed herself off. "You definitely have the cat part right, but... I've been told I'm more of a cat mixed with a wolf... or a warg."

The brothers were surprised at the last part, but it only made them more interested. "So, if you're a warg, then you're evil?"

"There is no evil, just like there is no good." She looked up at him, her eye half closed, making her look even more sly than usual. "It's all just a matter of opinions."

"A scholar, perhaps?" Fili asked in suspicion. She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, because I could really sit and waste away my life learning about everything from other people's point of view instead of seeing it myself." She said.

"So an adventurer?" Kili suggested.

"I've only ever served as a mercenary for cave explorations with a group of men once or twice near Gondor... so not really."

"Are you anything?" Fili asked.

"I'm a dwarf woman that'll put you in your place if you make me angry." She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on one leg, pushing her hip out to the side. "How's that?" Kili laughed and Fili took a small step back.

Nakita began to walk and the two followed her. They kept asking questions, but once Kili asked about her hair she stopped walking and gave them a warning not to ask about it again and kept walking, so they avoided this subject generously. Kili and Fili were in the middle of telling a story when all of a sudden, Nakita stopped walking as they entered a clearing and the moon shown down onto the three. Her hair instantly lit up as if it had absorbed all of moon's rays. Her blue eye sparkled brilliantly. The two stared at her as if she weren't mentally sound as she just stood their with her eyes closed. After a long moment of silence Kili spoke.

"Why, if you don't mind me asking, do you hide your eye?" He did his best to be polite about it and his brother joined in.

"I was thinking the same thing. I mean, it's not broken is it?"

Nakita laughed a little and looked back at the two.

"When I was born I was blind in my right eye, and when my hair turned white, my eye changed, so I hide it." She explained.

"Can we see it?" Kili asked. His brother gave him a slap to the torso.

"It's better if you don't. Now come on or Gandalf will think I've killed you and ran." She called as she turned and started walking back to Bag End.

"Yeah, let's... Wait what?" Fili asked. "Who says you could kill us, especially since it's two on one?"

"Who says I couldn't?" She asked, the look she gave them made it seem like she dared them to answer, but they just stopped and followed her back to Bilbo's, talking to themselves all the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there viewers!**

**SOO! I was writing and I got a pretty decent amount and all was good! :D Until I foolishly decided to download something on my laptop at the same goddamn time! :D I lost everything! :D YAAAAYYY! HAKJDSGLKJAHOUILDHKS :[_]**

**Anyways! I am here to apologize if the beginning of this chapter seems a bit rushed because I was writing out of anger and such feelings, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!**

**Please review and such because I really would love some of your thoughts on the way the stories going!**

**Thank you all very much!**

**~Chaos**

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**Chapter Two**

Nakita hummed softly to herself as she packed her things into the two saddle bags. It was just after dawn, the sun not sitting very high, and the Company was preparing to leave on their journey. The morning had been silent except for the jokes Fili and Kili had shared with a few others to try and lighten the mood, but no amount of tomfoolery could make them smile for long. They were about to head for the Lonely Mountain and try to take back their home of Erebor. They were about to go on a journey that most considered only death lay at the end. They were going to kill Smaug the Terrible.

She let out a shaky breath as she slung the saddle bags over her pony's back. She had brought her own pony, a gelding named Shadowmere that she had raised herself. The two were nearly inseparable and they could easily read each other's feelings and gestures. The pony was actually quite tall and resembled more of a small horse than a large pony. Dwalin had the tallest pony of the Company, but Shadowmere stood about three and a half hands taller that that. His fur was black with white and yellow dots meshed in everywhere. He looked like a starry night sky and his eyes were a color of a mix of blood and chocolate brown.

Shadowmere blew air out into Nakita's face as she spaced out. Snapping back to reality, she gently scratched the pony's nose and sighed.

"What are we to do, Shadow? Huh?" She asked the pony, not expecting an answer. "Gandalf said I'm important to this journey... What does that even mean?" The pony let out a neigh when she stopped petting him and she continued once more. "I've left home only twice, three times, but that was cave exploring, not a bloody quest to defeat a dragon!" She huffed in frustration. "I was a storyteller and a bard before any of that too. I have no real talent..."

"Hey, are these yours?" Kili came up behind her holding her two saw bladed axes. He paused and looked at her skeptically. "Were you just talking to yourself?"

Nakita snatched her weapons from him and grumbled something before responding to his question. "No, I was not thank you very much." She slid her axes on each side of her.

"So, Gandalf tells us that your quite the skilled fighter." He smiled, going to stroke Shadowmere, but quickly recoiled when the pony tried to bite him. Nakita chuckled slyly.

"Did he now? Well, I'll just have to give him a talk then, won't I, Shadowmere?" She asked the gelding in a voice you would use to address a baby or a small pet.

"You ride a horse? I figured you'd ride a pony, like all other dwarves." Fili called out of nowhere, causing Nakita to jump at the new voice. She scowled when he walked around from the other side of her mount.

"Shadowmere _is_ a pony, thank you very much." She growled, picking up a brush and combing through his mane. She felt offended by the way he worded that. Just because she was a mutt did not mean she wasn't just as much a dwarf as the next.

"How!? He's huge!" Fili exclaimed, trying to stroke the pony like his brother, but got the same reaction from Shadowmere.

"Size doesn't mean anything. He's still a pony. My little pony." She smiled and nuzzled into the pony's neck.

"I see..." Kili raised an eyebrow at the pony, expecting it to bite it's owner as well, but all it did was nuzzle her back. "He's... really something."

"Everyone, let's go." Thorin's voice called from ahead to where his pony had been stabled. She watched him mount the mare and begin to walk. Fili and Kili waved to Nakita before bounding over to their rides and mounting them.

"Are you ready boy?" Nakita asked her pony. He snorted back at her, seeming to ask _her _if _she _was ready. Sighing, she gave a swift jump and pulled herself onto the bare back of the gelding.

"Aren't you going to use a saddle?" The soft voice of Ori asked from below. She looked down to see him on his own pony with his own saddle.

"Oh, uh, no. I prefer to ride without one. It's more comfortable for me and the pony." She smiled gently as she explained.

"Oh, I could never do that. I wouldn't feel as safe without a saddle." He countered with a shy chuckle.

"I can respect that." Was Nakita's reply as she adjusted her weapons and tucked the straps of the saddle bag under her so it wouldn't slip off.

"If you'd like, I could put your saddle bag with mine. That way you wouldn't have to worry about it." He offered quite kindly. She was touched by the gesture, having no one else attempt to get close to her.

"Oh, no. That's quite alright. I can carry my own weight, but thank you very much." She blushed softly, never having been asked something so nice. They continued to walk side by side, talking all the while.

"So, what did you do before all of this?" He asked politely, trying to keep the conversation alive.

"I did quite a lot of things before I became a mercenary, but the things I was best at were a bard, story teller, and a fortune teller." She replied.

"Really? I would never have taken you for such. Us dwarves are quite musical, though, so I could see it and a fortune teller... that's quite the useful talent. Perhaps you could read my fortune one day." He chuckled and Nakita let out a gentle laugh. It resembled the soothing sound of wind chimes. "How did you read the fortunes?" He asked, knowledgeable that there were several ways.

"I read the cracks in bones after they were thrown into the fire." She provided.

"Interesting." He had pulled out a small book and was frantically scribbling down something. She didn't say anything about it, knowing that someone was going to document the quest, so she just sat there and focused ahead of her. She looked to watch everyone in front of her, reciting their names in her head.

"Wait a minute," Her head snapped up and looked back behind her. "Where's Bilbo? I thought you needed a Burglar..." She asked, looking over to Ori.

"He never signed the contract, so we're continuing on without him. Maybe Thorin will give that job to you." He chuckled and, having finished his scrawling, put his book and quill away. Nakita gave a face at the thought of having to become their Burglar.

"I'd rather not." She mumbled and frowned receding back into her thoughts. She was a bit sad to not have the hobbit with them. He seemed like a nice fellow and since neither of them had really never left home with such a large task at hand, it would have been comforting to have someone like that to talk to. She sighed, dreading the quest a bit more now without the company of a hobbit. Not to mention, he was the closest to her in height and she wasn't very comfortable when people towered over her, except for Gandalf that is.

After about an hour of riding a cry stopped the Company in their tracks. All heads turned to see a winded Bilbo running with a pack rising over his head and a scroll of paper in his hand.

"Wait!" He cried, his voice sounded slightly pleading, "I signed it!" He caught up and handed the contract to Balin, wheezing. "I signed the contract..." He said between pants.

Balin smiled and looked to Thorin. "Everything seems to be in order." When Thorin gave a grunt in reply, Balin turned back to Bilbo. "Welcome to the Company, Burglar." He chuckled and Nakita looked up just in time to see... an eye roll coming from Thorin? She wasn't sure if she had imagined it, but Gandalf chuckled from behind her, so she thought maybe not.

Bilbo took the pony that had been carrying extra luggage and once he was settled on the pony, they continued their way.

"Good to see you changed your mind." Nakita said with a polite smile. "I wasn't sure I would survive with all of them alone." She chuckled and Bilbo gave a small smile. She pulled to the side to let Gandalf ride in between them.

All at once, bags of money went flying to a few of the dwarves, making Nakita crack a smile. Bilbo looked around confused and asked Gandalf what was going on.

"Some of us didn't think you'd want to leave your home." He stated simply, still holding onto the smile on his face.

"Did you think I would come?" He asked, but instead of answering Gandalf just smiled, that is until a bag came flying his way. Nakita let out a soft laugh as he answered Bilbo. Shadowmere flicked an ear at her laughter, seeming to be happy that she was happy.

Hours later of riding, the dwarves had just about enough of Bilbo. Nakita took back every nice thing she had ever said about the hobbit, doing everything she could from not tackling him and beating him to death. It had been nice at first, they had chatted before Nakita pulled up farther to sit in the middle of Bofur and Nori.

Bilbo from then on would just nag and complain about anything he thought was bad about this wretched journey and Nakita, like many of the others was sick of it, but Nakita by far looked the most enraged by it. She had fallen back again to sit beside the hobbit, hopefully her huffs and grumbles would shut him up.

He went to open his mouth and was about to complain about the heat when she turned and glared razor sharp daggers at him. Instantly he closed his mouth and after that was relatively quiet.

Hoping to calm herself down a bit, Nakita lifted her feet up and laid her back down against Shadowmere's. She wasn't afraid that he would stray from the group because he had quickly gotten the notion of following the other ponies. She closed her eyes and bunched up her long hair into a pile to cushion her head. She was just about to drift off into sleep when she heard the distinguishable voices of Fili and Kili beside her. She opened her eyes to see that their chins were level with her head.

"Can I help you two?" She asked grouchily.

"Oh, no. We just thought that a lovely dwarven lady such as yourself would like some company." Fili said, all too innocently. Kili nodded vigorously in addition.

"Uh huh..." She raised an eyebrow at the two. She looked back to see Bilbo kitty corner behind Fili give her a look, hoping that she didn't believe that they weren't planning something. She blinked in return, letting him know she didn't. "Seriously, what the hell are you two up to?" She asked, looking back and forth between the two. Kili mocked a hurt look and Fili soon followed suit.

"How dare you think that we're up to something!" Fili cried.

"We were just being friendly!" Kili added.

"Yeah, and I'm a wizard!" She flailed her arms as if she were zapping something above her and rolled her eye. "Fine, then if you don't mind, I'll just close my eyes and take a nap." She did as she said and pretended to nap, after a few moments she slowed her breathing down to make it seem like she had actually dozed off. She heard Fili encouraging Kili to 'do it' and she was instantly curious as to was 'it' was.

In a horror filled moment she felt a hand brush the hair over her hidden eye. In a flash, Nakita was jumping up, snatching Kili's hand away from her face. She jumped off of Shadowmere and onto Kili's saddle, pulling out a small dagger from her boot and holding it to his neck. Anger burned in her eyes and her hair was dancing in a frenzy from an invisible wind.

"_Never _do that again." She threatened. Her blue eye stared into his brown ones and Fili yelled something frantically. Soon all the dwarves had turned to see the woman standing on Kili's pony, holding him like a hostage. Gandalf rode up beside them and angrily asked what had happened. Nakita simply sheathed the dagger and jumped back onto Shadowmere, continuing to ride. Thorin ordered everyone to keep going and everyone stayed a distance from the dwarf woman.

"What happened?" Gandalf asked Kili again and he looked over to him, eyes still wide. Nakita listened to him explain himself in a stuttering voice and she took in a deep breath, her hair calming itself and resting back down. She was told to never show her eye for the sake of the other's life and she intended to do that, even if she had to hurt them a bit.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm REEEALLY sorry about the delay guys... but I got asked to prom so I thought, Hey! Why not share some of my joy!:DD So here's chapta 3! Enjoy!~**

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**Chapter 3**

The sun finally began to set on the first night of the journey and Thorin called Fili and Kili to scout ahead and find a place to camp for the night. Gandalf had rode off earlier, saying he had something to do nearby. This had left Nakita feeling quite alone and she hated it. She rode at the back of the group, no one wanting to talk to her after her actions.

Fili and Kili had whispered to themselves the entire ride after the events, occasionally casting glances her way. It made her feel alone and alienated. Bilbo, once in a while, tried to talk to her, but she only replied with small grunts that sounded sad or curt even, so even he stopped trying eventually.

"Thorin!" Kili's voice called from farther ahead, making Nakita jump at the sudden voice against the quiet. The group followed the voice until they entered a clearing beside a cliff.

"Everyone unpack only what's necessary." Thorin told everyone and Nakita slid off of her horse. The ground was cold, making her give a small cry of pain when she landed. Bilbo jumped over to her.

"Are you alright?" He fretted.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just jumped off my pony wrong." She replied, shoving his worry off and pulling out a package from her saddle bag. She hitched it onto her belt as she went to Shadowmere's head and began untangling his mane. "Oh, aren't you just a pretty boy." She cooed and he let out a content snort as an answer.

She was just getting done with the last tangles in his tail when someone let out a cough behind her. She turned to see a guilty looking Fili and Kili. She nodded to them to acknowledge their presence and turned to continue with Shadowmere's tail. She heard the intake of air, but neither of them spoke. They just watched her for a while, until she was the one to speak.

"Whatever it is you want, spit it out... before you choke on it." She muttered the last part mostly to herself.

"We just wanted to say..." Fili's voice started.

"We wanted to apologize for earlier." Kili finished and they sat still for a while.

"Well, say it then." Nakita snorted. She wasn't angry anymore over it. The dwarf brother's were naturally curious people and it was no surprise that something like that had happened. In fact, she had anticipated it.

"You seem to be taking it... well?" Fili mumbled, slightly afraid that she was furious.

"I'm not angry with you two." She started, finishing the pony's tail and putting the brush back into the bag. "But you really should respect people's privacy, especially if... nevermind." She stopped herself, but Kili sensed that she was hiding something before she could cover it up. "I accept your apology. Now run along." She ordered, as if she were the mother to the two, Fili thought, but Kili pulled him away before he could object about their age differences.

They walked back towards the group, but they stayed a decent distance away from everyone.

"Did you notice it?" Kili asked in a hushed voice, making sure no one could hear them.

"Notice what?" Fili sat down on the ground and leaned back on his hands.

"She's hiding something..." He looked over to where Nakita was sitting between Ori and Bilbo, they could hear her laughter from where they sat.

"Yes, I noticed, but what could it be? I mean, do you really think she has something to hide on her face?"

"Well, obviously!" Kili flung his arms up, frustrated that he was kept from knowing something.

"Maybe she's missing her eye and she hides it so she doesn't scare off handsome dwarf men." Fili joked, nudging his brother.

"Please, what dwarf would go for a beardless dwarf maiden? It's so... unnatural! I've caught myself staring at her once in a while..." Kili mumbled and his head sunk down between his shoulders a little.

"And what's so wrong about being unnatural, Mr. Scruffy Beard!" Fili chided, grabbing at his brother's small facial hair. "No wonder you didn't get any woman back home. You're too much of an arse!"

Kili tackled his brother and the two rolled around in a flurry of half-hearted punches and false name calling. It attracted the attention of all of the dwarves, but most just ignored the common commotion. Nakita's mouth twitched in an attempt not to smile at such behavior, but it was quite a nice sight. The brother's were laughing as they fought each other and in the back of her mind Nakita wished she had a bond like that.

Ori, prodded her and asked her to continue whatever she was saying before they Company was interrupted. She swallowed the chunk of apple she had been chewing on and continued. He hastily wrote down what he was being told, most likely a story. Bilbo would ask a question once in a while, receiving an answer, then would sit back with satisfaction.

The brothers, finally, finished their scuffle and sat back where they were originally. Giggles escaped every once in a while from their lips before they went back to their seriousness.

"What could it be?" Kili laid back in wonder.

"You seem to be developing an obsession with this, Kili..." Fili nudged his brother, only half joking. "She was right, we should respect her privacy."

"Since when have you ever respected privacy?" Kili shot back. "All those times when we were little and I tried being alone, you were the one who never let me have that!"

"That's you and you don't count, plus you're a _lad_. She's a maiden and maidens get privacy."

Kili looked at his brother and raised an eyebrow, "...Way to be sexist. Either way, she's as much of a 'lad' as I am, just with... with... different... parts?" Fili snorted in laughter at his brother's reasoning.

"Whatever you say..." Was his only mumble reply. Kili was about to say something when Bombur's voice bellowed out that the stew was done and before long bowls were being passed out. The brothers walked over to be close to the fire to eat.

"Here, Nakita." Bofur smiled, holding out a bowl for their female companion.

"Huh? Oh, no, I couldn't." She mumbled sheepishly, her head sinking in between her shoulders.

"Oh, just take it. You're part of the Company anyways." Nori called out with a laugh and she reluctantly took the bowl, gingerly using her spoon while she ate. Bilbo sat next to her and the two shared a conversation of how they felt a bit guilty, but Bilbo wasn't nearly as guilty as Nakita was, for he was still slightly angry that the dwarves had eaten his pantry dry. This made Nakita let out a small laugh and it made the hobbit smile.

"So, Nakita," Oin spoke up, his hearing trumpet sticking out of his hear. "I heard you were a storyteller before all this, or was it a Bard?"

"It was both, actually." Nakita answered his confusion after swallow the remainders of her meal.

"Really?" Fili piped up. He had enjoyed singing around in bars back in Ered Luin when he and Kili had the time and whenever the two were drinking, they were dancing and singing like nothing else mattered.

"Uh huh." She nodded to him. "I was also a fortune teller, but that was for only a short while." She explained then when she saw multiple dwarves and Bilbo look up at her expectantly she hastily added, "I'm not very good! I hardly know anything about much!" She would feel uncomfortable learning the fates of the Company.

Gandalf, who had been hunched over in the corner, let out a small smile, before speaking up. "I recall you were also a magician... for a short time." Nakita flinched at his words, but before she could say anything, Fili and Kili were sitting in front of her like little pups, begging for a treat.

"Show us a trick!" They said in unison and Nakita leaned back slightly from them, looking around for help. She found that everyone was looking at her expectantly, even Thorin had turned to look in curiosity.

"I hate you..." She muttered to Gandalf before looking at the Company to explain. "I took up the occupation as a magician not because I knew any tricks." She looked down to see Fili sink down a bit, but Kili continued to listen with full interest. "I did it because of my..." She coughed, sending another sharp glare at a smirking wizard.

"They were going to find out eventually." He commented.

"Yes, but did it have to be the very first night of our quest?" She grumbled.

"What is it that you're hiding?" Thorin's voice butted in and all at once, the joy from this situation dissolved in the air. Nakita cleared her throat nervously.

"I have the... the ability to control..." She looked up into his eyes daringly, "I have the ability to control fire."

Everyone's eyes widened all together as they took in her words. It took a great amount of time before Bilbo was the first to speak.

"So, that's why Gandalf told you not to burn down my home..." He mumbled in understanding. Once he finished his sentence, everyone flung questions at her in a frenzy.

"Are you joking?"

"Why can you?"

"Have you ever hurt anyone?"

"Is it a weapon?"

"How do you do it?"

"Does it hurt?"

"How long have you been able to?"

"Is that why you hide you eye?" Kili and Fili's voices echoed out together and somehow silenced everyone. Ori had been writing in his journal looked up at her. Thorin, who had been staring at her in thought, broke his gaze and went to Gandalf to have a... discussion.

Nakita had curled up in a tiny ball and had her back against the earthen wall they had set up camp around. She had her hands over her face and when everyone quieted, she peeked out from between her fingers. She removed her hands from her face and set them in her lap, her legs falling to the sides so she sat criss-cross. She inhaled a deep breath before she began speaking quickly. "No, I'm not. I have absolutely no clue. Yes, I have. It can be used as one. I have no idea, I just do. No, it doesn't hurt me, but it can hurt anything else, just like regular fire. I could do it ever since I can remember. Partially yes, but there are other reasons as to why my eye is hidden." Once she was finished she inhaled again and sighed.

Everyone was still again and it was quiet, except for the scribbling of Ori in his journal. Fili and Kili exchanged a look and Kili opened his mouth to speak.

"...Can you still show us a trick?" He asked in an innocent voice. Everyone nodded and agreed, making Nakita sink down sheepishly again.

"Um... I suppose..." She breathed evenly before lifting her hands up.

Her fingers twirled and wrists bent in wave like ways. At first no one saw anything, but Dwalin gasped and everyone went to look at him, but their attention was caught onto the fire that had cooked their meal. Strings of flames were rising above the regular flames and swirling together. They began to make shapes and figures.

"It's a pony!" Bofur called out as the flames made the familiar figure of a galloping pony. Laughs of amazement went through the crowd, until the figure began to morph into something else.

"Butterflies!" Kili shouted and three butterflies made of flame began fluttering around the dwarves. Dwalin went to touch one and his brother, Balin, swatted his hand away.

"You'll burn yourself, fool!" This made Nakita laugh and she changed the form yet again. This time a bird went flying through the dwarves. Thorin and Gandalf were watching now, after they had cried out the names of animals. Thorin seemed to be highly intrigued, while Gandalf was smiling softly at the show.

The bird multiplied and after the birds had flown around for a bit, their forms began to slowly seep back into a large ball above the fire. Everyone began calling out species of anything they could think of, trying to name the form. Finally, the thing was complete and the shape of an oliphant was recognized.

"Can you do anything else?" Fili asked, excitedly.

"Yes." Nakita nodded, letting the oliphant dissolve away into smoke. "Um..." She paused trying to think and once she finally thought of something, she raised her hands again. Everyone turned to the fire, waiting excitedly, but Nakita let out an 'ahem', drawing their attention to her.

She snapped her fingers and a small candle-like flame popped up from her fingers. She put the tips of her fingers together and when she pulled them away, each one of them had their own flame. The flame began flickering and shaping into weird forms. Nakita closed her eyes, trying to concentrate.

"Ori, look! It's you!" Gloin shouted, nudging him. On her right hand's thumb, a flame figure of Ori stood there with Nori and Dori, flickering. One by one the dwarves were sticking from her fingertips. Fili and Kili were next, then Bofur and Bifur, then Balin and Dwalin together, next was Bombur by himself, then Gloin, then Oin, and then Gandalf stood alone, then Bilbo, and lastly, Thorin sat on her left pinkie.

Nakita opened her eyes and looked down at her creations. The dwarves were complimenting her generously and Bilbo was staring at himself in fascination.

"Thank you." Nakita said to each compliment she received. Thorin walked back to the camp and spoke with a slight annoyed tone.

"That's enough excitement for today. Get some sleep, we have a ways to go." He said and then walked off to go lie down. Nakita, obediently, made the flames on her fingertips die out.

"That really was amazing." Bilbo smiled at her as he went to sit where he would sleep.

"Yeah, it was! Did you really just do all of it?" Kili asked, Fili looked towards his brother and noticed how intensely he was looking at Nakita. He sighed, deciding his brother definitely had an obsession.

"I taught myself and it took me a long time, but it's fun." She smiled thoughtfully, looking down at her hands. When she looked up to see Kili staring at her with such fierceness, she jumped. "Well... goodnight then." She dismissed herself and got up, walking over to Shadowmere to give him something from the bag she had put onto her belt. Stroking his head once more before walking back near the fire, she fell to the ground with a sigh and closed her eyes. Fili prodded her side with a stick that he picked up from the ground beside him.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" He asked, referring to the notion that she didn't have her cloak covering her in substitute for a blanket.

"I'll be fine, thanks for your concern." She pushed the stick away from her and closed her eyes again. She let out an long exhale, but was prodded yet again. "What?" She opened her eye irritably.

Fili looked around a bit, making sure no one could hear him. "I want to let you know that..." He sighed. "My brother can get obsessed with something easily when he wants to know it's secrets..." He explained.

"You're referring to my eye and fire, aren't you?" She propped herself up with an elbow and turned her body to face him. He nodded, looking over to Kili who was against the earthen wall, the two brothers would be taking the first watch.

"Just... watch out for anything weird he does." She snorted at him.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm obviously not familiar with weird things." She turned, pulling her cloak off and laying it over herself.

"Oh, just watch yourself." He muttered and then got up and joined his brother.

Not long after everyone was asleep, supposedly, Bilbo got up, trying to be casual. He strode over to the ponies and pulled out an apple, telling his pony to be quiet as she ate it. He smiled gently, but it fell quickly when a threatening cry howled through the night air. Thorin's eyes snapped open, but he made no movement.

"What was that?" Bilbo turned back to Fili and Kili who were watching the fire.

"Orcs..." Kili muttered gravely. Nakita was awake now, but she froze on the spot. Her body was facing the fire and she could see the two brothers. Her stomach flipped in fear as thoughts and images of how people had described them to her.

"Orcs?" Bilbo asked, fearfully. He bounded back near the fire.

Fili and Kili kept going on about how they attacked at night, but no screaming or anything.

"Just lots of blood..." Kili finished and it sent a shiver down Nakita's spine. Bilbo turned to look back in the general direction the howl had come from and almost immediately, the two started snickering to themselves. Enraged, Nakita thrust herself upwards, which caused the two to jump slightly, but before she could scold them, Thorin, who had gotten up, growled at them.

"You think that's funny?" He asked, making Bilbo turn around to see they were teasing him.

"We meant nothing by it..." Kili muttered, but Thorin turned his back on the two.

"You know nothing of the world..." Nakita heard him growl. She sat up and scooted to rest her back on a rock.

Gandalf sat against a boulder, far away from the group, smoking away with his pipe. He watched as Thorin walked over near the ponies and stared over the terrain.

Balin stood up and addressed Bilbo, turning whatever heads were awake. "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria...but our enemy had got there first." He began to explain the battle for Moria and how the king fell to Azog the Defiler, the Pale Orc. Nakita sat still at the terrifying sounding orc. Once Balin's story was finished, Bilbo spoke up.

"What happened to the pale orc?" He asked, curiously.

"Azog the Defiler died long ago from his wounds." Thorin stated simply as he walked back to his sleeping spot. He sat down as the dwarves, who had all woken up and heard Balin's tale, all followed his lead.

Kili and Fili exchanged glances and Nakita began to absently braid her hair. She didn't think she would be able to sleep anymore. She looked up at the moon that shown above them. It was almost full and since it was summer, the summer solstice would be soon. She frowned at the thought of that day coming. Gandalf had said it was her birthday and it was the date that she used, but she wouldn't be celebrating a birthday this year, nor probably any birthdays after this dreadful journey. She pulled her cloak up around her shoulders and stared at the fire.

The rest of the night was long and sullenly quiet, except for the occasional sighs that escaped from her mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

**ERMAHGERD PEEPS! I SO SORREH! I HAVE BEEN SO STRESSED OUT LATELY THAT I COULDN'T WRITE OR EVEN DRAW OR PAINT OR ANYTHINGGG! COUPLE THINGS BEFORE WE GET BACK TO DA STORY! v**

**1. Thanks for the reviews that I got! I reeeally appreciate it!**

**2. I have done a lot of horse riding, thanks very much, and it's always been comfortable for me to ride bareback.**

**3. Yes, my character is a bit of a Mary Sue although I don't try to maker her one! x3 But she does have flaws! Trust me! You just haven't found them yet :3**

**Disclaimer: All original stuff goes to their original owners! ~3**

**Thanks for reading through this! ONTO THE STORYYY!**

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**Chapter 4**

The next day went by smoothly. They had packed up camp just before dawn swiftly and were soon on their way, however, the skies were a dull gray and there was no sun to be seen. This made Nakita slightly nervous, for she had a fear of thunder, but she loved the rain and always watched storms blow by.

Fili and Kili, along with the occasion of any other traveler in their Company, had tried getting to know her a bit more. She had explained things all the way to her favorite color, being a crimson red, to the story of her cave explorations. It was quite the quest and Nakita was beginning to look up to it more and more with how close she was at becoming possible friends with the others. That is, until the rain started pelting down from the clouds.

The rain was so heavy that it soaked through the hood of her cloak and she feared that if her hair hung down in clumps together, it would reveal her eye. She had made the group go on without her, or she had at least tried. Thorin, still not trusting her quite yet, had made Nori and Dori stay back with her. All she did was pull some bandages out from one of Shadowmere's saddle bags and she wrapped them skillfully around her head, letting her bangs fall over them. Once that was finished and, most likely after the bandages were dried, they could be put back to be put to future use.

The one good thing about staying back, was that they got to gallop to catch up. It had made Nakita smile and she had to bite her tongue to hold back a whoop. She hadn't been able to gallop for a while, the pony's needing agility and endurance over speed. Shadowmere certainly enjoyed it that when they had caught up, he flew past everyone and Nakita was forced to make him stop. He reared back and turned on his hind feet. She sat and waited and when the Company caught up, her cheeks were stained red from the awkward silence that followed as Thorin trotted past.

"You've got a fast horse." Fili offered and she thanked him for his compliment, stroking Shadowmere's neck. After that, there wasn't much conversation, just the constant splatter of rain on the ground below them.

They had been riding for a few hours now and everyone was irritably soaked to the bone. It was silent, except for the small rolls of thunder in the background, which, of course, caused Nakita to jump and flinch whenever she heard the blasted rumble.

"Aye, Mr. Gandalf. Can't you do something about this rain?" Dori's voice spoke up.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Gandalf spoke back in a short tempered voice. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard!" He called back, riding at the front of the group. This picked up conversation obviously as Bilbo spoke up as well.

"Are there any?" He asked.

"What?" Gandalf asked.

"Any wizards?" This struck up the attention of Nakita and a few of the others. Even though she had known Gandalf for all her life, she hadn't known much about him.

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White." This name, for some reason, made Nakita's eyes narrow and Kili, who noticed, was about to ask when Gandalf continued. "Then there are the two Blue wizards, you know I've quite forgotten there names."

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo asked.

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown." He answered.

"Is he a great wizard, or is he like you?" Nakita snorted and laughed silently to herself at the bashing Bilbo had just unintentionally given Gandalf.

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals."

"Like me..." Nakita whispered to herself, Kili and Fili giving her a glance.

"He keeps a watchful eye on the vast forest lands to the East and a good thing too, for always, evil will look to find a foothold in this world." Gandalf finished and this seemed to be the end of the conversation, so they kept riding back into the silence.

It rained for the rest of the day and many predicted it would rain throughout the night. Only getting groans of annoyance from the Company. Fili and Kili were sent to scout of a place to camp for the night and they didn't have much luck. Another hour in the rain and Nakita stopped her pony when something caught her eye.

"Oi!" She called out to the Company, waving her hand for them to come back. "I think I found something." She jumped off her horse and walked through a large, wet, bush. She pushed the bush's branches away from her face, the movement sending a thicker shower down onto her, but she was already soaked to the bone, so she hardly felt the difference.

Behind the bush was a large stone wall, most likely carved many years ago, but the way it curved back in like a cave made it seem like it would have been used by travelers much.

"Looks like we can finally dry off, boys!" Nakita grinned, putting her hands on her hips. A few of the dwarves cheered and she received many pats on the back for her find, even Thorin, despite his usual hostility towards the dwarf maiden, gave her a nod of approval, which made her grin a bit wider. She had been hoping to gain some relation with the King, and now there was a bit of hope shining through.

Almost immediately everyone began unpacking and claiming spots to rest. Oin was hard at work trying to find dry wood for a warm and much welcomed fire, but there was nothing. An idea sparked into Ori's mind as he watched Oin's struggle.

"Um... Nakita?" His voice spoke from behind the white haired maiden, who was brushing out some water from Shadowmere's coat. She turned immediately to see what he wanted.

"Yes, Ori?" She asked in a polite tone.

Ori gestured over to Oin before speaking, "I'm not really sure what you could do, but... uh, do you think you could.. um."

It was obvious to Nakita what he was asking, but he didn't want to be blunt and make her uncomfortable. She smiled gently, "Yes, Ori. I can try and help." He grinned in relief and led her over to Oin, almost everyone stopped to watch, obviously knowing what was going to happen.

"Oin, mind if I?" Nakita asked, not wanting to make him feel embarrassed for failing at the fire. She pointed down at the pile of damp wood.

Oin stood up, taking note of the eyes watching them. "If you don't mind, yes. I could use your help." She nodded and bent down. The obviously wouldn't be having any issues regarding cooking, warmth, or light anymore.

Nakita knelt down next to the pile and in an instant flames were coming up from her hands. She held it close to the wood, working her way around, drying it up. It took some time and everyone was eagerly waiting for the fire to be complete so they could stop shivering and dry off. At last, Nakita stood up and away from her work. The fire was burning at a good rate and when more wood would need to be added, she would just be called over to dry it off and then continue whatever it was she was doing.

She was laying down with her back to Shadowmere, who was laying on the ground next to her, drying out a book she had with her when Kili strolled up beside her.

"What is it?" She asked when she noticed the light from the campfire was being blocked. She looked up and met his golden brown eyes.

"Here." He handed her a bowl of stew.

"Oh, I didn't know the food was even being cooked. I could have helped..." She looked uncomfortable taking the bowl, but did. Kili sat down next to her with his own.

"Nonsense, you've helped enough. If it weren't for your help, we would most likely be sitting in the mud still soaked." Nakita chuckled lightly at the comment just as Fili joined his brother.

"How's our tag-along doing?" He chided.

She smirked, "Better than you."

"Ooh." Kili laughed, nudging his brother.

"Well, aren't you just a spark of fire?" Fili snorted as he drank his stew.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" She chuckled, chewing on some of the vegetables in the meal.

"What are you reading?" Kili perked up when he noticed the book in her lap.

"I wasn't reading it, I was drying it off. Stupid rain washed away some of the words, so I'm going to have to rewrite it a bit."

"You wrote a book?" Fili asked, almost choking on his food.

"No, you dumb dumb. I've read so many times I could probably recite it." She snorted and, finishing her stew, continuing her drying. She was about three fourths through, so she would most likely be able to dry it completely and get some sleep before they continued on.

Kili stifled a laugh at the term she had called his brother, which got him a punch on the shoulder from Fili.

"What's it about?" He asked, rubbing his arm.

"It's about an old fairy tale of a land very far to the north from here. Well, no... more like north west." She stated, beginning to ramble a bit. "In a land called Skyrim. There, dragons are nothing to be feared. In fact, they're worshiped by the Nordic race, a type of human." She explained, then realized that the talk of dragons had drawn attention from the others. She looked up at their shocked face. She instantly took it back and wanted to never have told what the book was of. She met the eyes of Thorin, who looked angry. His eyes bore into hers and after a moment he stormed off to be by himself. Nakita, whose face was flushed scarlet, looked down at her crossed legs and began fiercely drying her book, almost burning the pages. She muttered a very soft apology, which only Fili and Kili heard.

After it quieted down a bit and everyone went back to their own business, Kili scooted a bit closer to Nakita. "It's okay, you know. You didn't mean to bring up any bad thoughts." He tried to comfort her.

"I know, but... I should have thought before I spoke. It was foolish of me." She mumbled. She had been drying so frantically that she had sped up her rate of pages and was already on the second to last one.

"Nonsense, it was just a little... shocking." He replied, having to pause a bit to search for a word. He looked up and watched Fili, who had left the two, help clean up the mess from supper. "It sounds like a really interesting story. Is it one you told when you were a storyteller?" He asked.

"Yes, actually, it was." She smiled softly and looked up at him, finishing her book drying. "It was one of my favorites."

"Didn't you also do something like, oh what was it?" Even though he was being sly about it, Nakita still picked up his social cue. He wanted something. "Oh, I remember!" He declared, "It was fortune telling."

Nakita grew a little dark and her voice lowered, "Kili... I'm sorry, but... I'm not going to read your fortune." She closed her book and shoved it into her bag that sat beside her.

"Oh come on! Why not?" He asked, trying to beg, but failing.

"Because. I don't want to." She resisted, jumping up to her feet. "And I mean it!" She snarled at him. She walked off into the woods and Shadowmere immediately got up and followed her with a neigh.

Kili stared after her, while the company stared at him. He had struck a nerve and it seemed to be the fuse to a _very _short explosion.

Fili walked over. "Kili, what did you do?" He looked a bit shocked and slightly afraid that Nakita would come back and burn him.

"I asked her to read my fortune because she used to do it as a job, but then she just yelled at me and walked away!" He flailed his arms into wild gestures to show he was just as shocked. They stared at where she had gone off to and eventually Fili shrugged.

"She'll be fine. Come on, let's go get some sleep before it's our watch." He pulled his brother to their sleeping spot, but Kili couldn't get Nakita out of his head. He wanted to know what had caused her to quit that occupation. He wanted to know what was wrong with her eye. He wanted to know her.

He had a rough time sleeping before his watch.


End file.
